What does it take?

Our Australian Navy has registered 1,800 patrol days every year from Cairns in Queensland to Broome in Western Australia. The protect our northern border and it is not enough. That's not a criticism of the Navy, nor indeed our government. It is a testament to the vastness of our continent that we just don't have the resources or the people to cover such an area.

This gap in our security is a cause for alarm for the obvious reasons. However, I could write a book on that. That's not what this post is about.

It's about the rare Patagonian Tooth fish and other endangered species poached from our waters. Last Friday, the Federal Court acquitted fishermen on the charges of illegal fishing. The men, a Uruguayan, three Spaniards and a Chilean were caught with over a million dollars worth of the fish, obviously in Australian Territorial waters, yet because the Navy didn't catch them in the act of pulling the fish out of the water, they've got away with it.

What did the court think they were doing? Giving the fish a guided tour of the oceans of the world?

It's also of concern the increasing number of Indonesian fishermen being caught in our northern waters. Again, we don't have the resources to catch these blighters.

Now, the bleeding hearts will comment that these are poor men, with no education and little resources to improve their lives. Bullshit. The Indonesians have a grape vine to rival none and the Australian Navy has been doing this for thirty or forty years. These people know what their doing is wrong, they just don't give a rat's bladder.

The Opposition Leader is pushing his billion dollar plan for an American-style Coast Guard. We don't need it. The legitimate fishermen of the north have warned that they will take action. Not a bad idea given that the northern shark stocks - fished for their fins alone - are facing annhilation. Worse, these illegal boats carry chickens for food with the real risk of bird flu.

Something has to be done about these people and their boats. This year alone more than 200 illegal fishing vessels were seized.

Australia has the toughest Customs Act in the world to protect our native flora and fauna, and yet, these pricks are fishing our waters as if that is of no concern, and the stocks belong to them. Well they don't, and the fishing is of concern. One day soon, some local fisherman is going to say enough, and blow the fuckers out of the water. Maybe that is the only deterent we can rely on.

Jail doesn't work, confiscating and burning the boats don't work. Maybe more direct action needs to be taken. Australia has to come up with harsher methods if it to save it's fish stocks for the rest of the world to enjoy. If local fishermen join the effort, then we will have more resources for patrols and local knowledge to hunt the bastards down.